Kings and Shadows
by Late For The Sky
Summary: The centuries passed in a graceful dance, like the waves over Atlantis.


**A/N:**_ This is a sort of backstory to one of my drabbles in "I am Atlantis". Refer to the first short snippit for understanding if needed, though this story does stand on its own. Written for the sga_flashfic Amnesty 2008 challenge._

~Prologue~

'...And so, we reach the end of this trial,' said the Grand Arbiter of the Risen. 'The circumstances have been reviewed by a jury of your peers, and you have been found guilty, Kalian Uvalde, of breaking one of our most sacred laws. Do you have anything to say before judgment is passed?'

The woman who stood before the Ruling Council lifted her head, eyes as amber as a hawk's passing over each Council member in turn before resting on the Arbiter's masked face. 'Only that, had I the chance to do it again, I would. What I did should not be considered a crime, and it is foolish to outlaw such a thing. After all, we are not the only race in this universe.' She said, her voice strong.

The Arbiter frowned behind its mask, and then nodded. 'Very well. The judgment is thus: For your crimes, Kalian Uvalde, your name will be stricken from the Annals of the Risen, and your presence forgotten. There was some call for complete and utter exile, but the Council has decided that, instead, you shall watch over the City you once lived in for as long as it lasts. You will descend from this plane of existence and merge with the City. A Guide will go with you to ensure that you do not try to escape. Your sentence is to be carried out immediately. Go, and return to this place no more.'

The sound of a gong rang out, though none was apparent, and the Council vanished, leaving only two beings behind: Kalian, and her Guide. Kalian- or Kali, as she preferred to be called- turned around to see who had been chosen to escort her away from the Higher Planes. A sad look passed across her face when she saw who it was.

'They should not have made you do this, Terciel.' she said softly, brushing a lock of copper-colored hair out of her face. 'It isn't fair that you have to-'

'Just- Don't, Kali.' Terciel replied, shaking his head. 'I do not want to think about it. Let's just get this over with.'

Kali closed her eyes for a moment, and then sighed. 'Very well. Let us depart.'

Terciel reached out and took Kali's hand. The warm and rolling landscapes of the Higher Planes dissolved around them, and then they were standing in the Stargate Control level of Atlantis. The Stargate lay quiescent below them, waiting the day when it would be dialed again by those from Earth who discovered it.

'Come, we must not tarry. We need to go to the Control Chair Room to finish this.' Terciel announced, his voice tense. 'We will have to walk; I don't want to waste any more power than necessary.'

Kali nodded and followed after her Guide, passing through corridors that were once as familiar as the stars in the sky. They made the journey in silence, both lost in thought about what was to come. It seemed to take both forever and a microsecond to reach the Chair Room, and Kali almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. The sight of the Chair situated in the center of the room, however, made her pause in the doorway. She turned to Terciel, but found only hazel eyes set in a stony face. 'Terciel, I-' She broke off, and then flung her arms around him. 'I'm sorry.' She whispered. 'Stars above, I am _so _sorry.'

Terciel stood stiffly for a moment, and then relaxed, wrapping his arms around her trembling frame. 'Shh, Kali.' He murmured, gently stroking her with one hand. 'At least you're able to be here, at home.'

'I'd rather be with you.' The words were muffled by Terciel's shirt, but that didn't matter to him.

'I know, I know.' They stood like that for a few minutes, just drinking in each other's presence. After a while, though, Terciel gently removed Kali's arms from around him and led her over to the Chair. Tears threatened to spill over as he watched her sit down, the Chair automatically lighting up and reclining. 'You know what to do.' He said softly. 'Just relax and let the City take you away.'

Kali looked at him for a long moment, some inscrutable emotion dancing in her eyes before she laid her head against the Chair. The Chair's light brightened momentarily, and then she was gone. Terciel fell to his knees, a soft keen rising at the back of his throat. A gentle brush at the back of his mind reminded him of Kali's touch, and he thought he could smell the scent of lavender, a favorite of hers. For a moment, he thought he could hear her voice, whispering in his ear.

_I am safe, Terciel. Go back to the others, and tell them the Joining is complete and the sentence carried out. I will miss you._

_I love you, cousin-mine._

The tears spilled over, and Terciel cried openly, great sobs wracking his frame as he made his stumbling way out of the Chair Room. When he reached Stargate Control, he ran a hand over one of the walls.

'I love you too, Kali. I will keep and honor your name forever, no matter what the Council says. Goodbye.'

With that, he went back to the Higher Planes, leaving the City empty once more.

_Goodbye…_

_Eight thousand five hundred years later (Give or take a few hundred)…_

The centuries passed in a graceful dance, the passage of time marked by the ebb and flow of the ocean above Atlantis, as well as the slow and steady drain of power from the three ZPMs. The Watcher observed it all, knowing that one day, perhaps soon, perhaps in centuries from now, life would return to the City that she guarded. She felt like she almost sleepwalked, drifting through the long-still conduits and circuits, occasionally pausing to shimmer into a sort of half-corporeal state and stare out a window at the sea surrounding the City. It had been so long that she had forgotten her name and who she had been. For all the Watcher knew, she had always been the Guardian of the City Beneath the Sea, eternally making her rounds. She was, in her mind, Atlantis- or at least, the personification of it.

She thought of everything and nothing during the lonely centuries, and had taken to sifting through the database, one entry at a time. It kept her occupied, as well as letting her get to know the City that much better. The Watcher was looking over an entry on how to properly speak with a diplomat from Aenicra, a long-dead civilization, when the low growl of the Stargate establishing a viable wormhole reached her ears. She abandoned the entry and made her way through the circuits and crystals to a vantage point where she could see what was going on. Hovering invisibly near the ceiling, she watched as a steady stream of people came through the 'Gate, all wearing uniforms of some kind and most holding weapons at the ready. As they explored the Arrivals area and Control Center, the Watcher could feel the devices and sensors responding to certain people. It filled her with joy to know that her kind hadn't entirely died out or Ascended, but moved on, growing and diversifying.

The events of the next year both thrilled and horrified the Watcher as she observed what she now knew to be an Expedition of humans from Earth. Earth! Stars above, how thrilling was _that_? She never really feared for her existence, save for the time when that energy being had escaped from its confinement. The Watcher had fled to the farthest point of the City that she could, not wanting to know what would happen should she encounter that beast, that dark mirror of who and what she was. Once the danger had passed, she returned to her usual haunts, watching over the labs that the scientists had taken over and silently co-mingling with the Expedition members as they ate their meals, listening to the many and varied conversations. It almost felt as though she were alive again, even if no one could see or hear her.

When the Wraith came near the first anniversary of the arrival of the Expedition, the Watcher didn't know what to do. She was supposed to be the Guardian of the City, and there she was, powerless to help. All of her searching through the database had never prepared her for a battle like this; after all, the Wraith had been so formidable ten thousand years ago that the Ancient Lanteans had sunk the city and fled through the Stargate rather than fight a losing battle. She had somewhat expected the members of the Expedition to do the same; well, obviously they couldn't get to Earth, but they could've left to a planet that they knew was safe, knew was out of harm's way. They didn't, and that made her so proud of her adopted family- for that's what they were to her, even if they didn't know it. Sure, they were a big dysfunctional family where three-quarters of it knew how to blow up or poison the other quarter in various ways, but a family nonetheless.

It was a surprise, then, when the reinforcements from Earth arrived, bearing much-needed weaponry and supplies, and then- oh, glorious day!- and then they had put a fully charged ZPM into one of the receptacles in the Main Power facility. She could feel the power thrumming through her, revitalizing old and failing systems. It was a rush to the head; she felt almost punch-drunk, even though she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for over ten millennia. After a long and arduous battle with the Wraith, and the very clever plan of making it look like the city had been destroyed, the Watcher knew it was time to introduce herself to those she had gained so much from. She waited until quite a bit of the activity had died down, and then materialized in the Arrivals Hall, right near the 'Gate. Her appearance was something she had carefully considered before she made herself known. She had chosen to wear the normal uniform of a Science Team member, having always enjoyed the color blue, and wanting to appear as nonthreatening as possible.

As she watched the activities going on around her, the Watcher failed to notice a botanist coming ever closer, and that was nearly her undoing. He passed right through her, and then gave a shout of surprise. The Watcher sighed slightly as he ran off, eventually coming to rest against one of the far walls. Well, _this_ wasn't exactly how she'd wanted to make her presence known, but what was done was done. When she saw the security team move in, she looked up at the Control Center, where Major Sheppard and Doctor Weir are staring down at her. She smiled wryly; no one had tried to shoot her yet, so that was always good.

'Hello,' she said, projecting her voice from the speakers hidden around the Control Center and the Arrivals area. 'I am Atlantis.'


End file.
